Don’t forget to vote! Four Manhattan City Council seats on the June primary ballot

Democrats in Manhattan will head to the polls beginning this weekend in a number of important City Council and judicial races.

Early voting begins this Saturday, June 17, and continues through the following Sunday, June 25, at poll sites across the borough. All regular polling places will be open for voting on Primary Day, Tuesday, June 27, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visit vote.nyc to find your designated early voting or regular polling sites.

The City Council races with more than two candidates will utilize ranked-choice voting. First conducted in the citywide elections of 2021, ranked-choice voting allows voters to choose up to five candidates on the ballot in their order of preference. When votes are tabulated, if no one receives a majority of votes on the first ballot, the ranked votes are then counted until someone has gained a majority.

The other primary races on the ballot — for district leader, alternate delegates to the judicial convention, Civil Court judges, delegates to the judicial convention and county committee — involve standard voting. Depending on the contest, voters may be asked to select more than one candidate to a seat; read the ballot carefully.

Redistricting last year necessitated the new round of City Council elections this year. All 51 seats will be on the general election ballot this November, with the winners serving out the remaining two years of the current term.

But only four of the 10 Manhattan City Council districts will have a contested election in this primary. In the heavily Democratic borough, the winners will likely cruise to election in November.

Here’s a rundown of the City Council ballot:

1st District (Greenwich Village, SoHo, Lower East Side, Little Italy, Tribeca, Lower Manhattan, Financial District, Battery Park City) — Incumbent Christopher Marte is facing a challenge from three Democrats: teacher Pooi Stewart, consultant/community advocate Susan Lee and private investor/Community Education Council member Ursila Jung.

2nd District (Murray Hill, Gramercy, Flatiron District, East Village, Greenwich Village, Lower East Side) — Incumbent Carlina Rivera will look to fend off a challenge from community activist Allie Ryan.

9th District (Harlem, Central Harlem, East Harlem) — Assembly Members Al Taylor and Inez Dickens, along with Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam, are battling for the nomination to succeed incumbent Kristin Richardson Jordan, who previously announced her departure from the race. Jordan is nonetheless on the ballot.

10th District (Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, Inwood) — Incumbent Carmen De La Rosa is facing Guillermo A. Perez.

There is also one primary contest for Civil Court Judge in the 1st Municipal Court District, with David Alan Fraiden facing Lauren L. Esposito.

For more information on the June 27 primary, visit vote.nyc. You can also read more about the candidates in the Campaign Finance Bureau’s Voters Guide, online at nycvotes.org/meet-the-candidates/2023-primary-election.

Read more: Ranked-Choice Voting Boosts NYC Primary Turnout, Diversity